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guinea pig??

well we have been on the hunt for a new family pet & I think we are going with guinea pigs

I have never owned there cute little critters & need some Info

I know about the viti c that they can not make there own so they need vitimans or chewables

I was thinking we would get 2 one for each child because I think I read somewhere that they are herd animals & do best in packs.
so with this info should I get 2 males will they fight?
a male & femals will have babies so this is out.
which leaves us with 2 females which is the best ?

do they make there cute little sounds at nighttime when everyone is sleeping cause if they do this is going to be some troubble

can anyone point me in the drection of a good piggie web site?
thanks
Kathy

Re: gunnie pig??

My friend had a "Skinny" pig...which is a bald Guinea Pig. She really liked him, but he was a lot of work too. They need a good size cage so they can get exercise...and hers got ulcers on his feet...I think it's from the litter she used...she used Swheat Scoop, it's actually a cat litter, but it's scoopable and it worked, except that I think the pieces were just too sharp for his little feet....but anyway if I ever got a rodent I'd use "carefresh" litter. They do smell quite a bit, but if that doesnt' bother you then I say go for it. I don't know about putting 2 males together...

Re: gunnie pig??

hi kathy,
i think it might be risky to get 2 males, they might fight, unless one lives as the passive guinea pig allowing the other to be the dominant one. so ther's no guarantee this would work.
when i was younger, i had 2-3 females at one time. they did get along well. and like all animals, had their sweet personalities. one of the female was the 'alpha' female, and was bossy,

i'd recommend not gettting a long haired guinea pig, the one who's hair grows, unless you can either keep up with their grooming, and or cutting/haircuts every 1-2months (which is what i do with wilbert).

guinea pigs like to keep themselves clean, so they rarely if ever need a 'bath,' if they do get bathed, it's in a very shallow amount of warm water, towel under their feet, water maybe 2-3inches high or so. anytime wilbert got a bath, it was like this, and did't use any soap/shampoo, it can irritate their skin. usually a quick soak, and rinse is enough. and again this is only if they really needed it, in my case wilbert's rear will need an occational wash since his hair is long around his rump as well. but the short haired guinea's i had never needed a bath.

i'm happy you are thinking of getting some little piggies. they are the sweetest pets.
and regarding their noise level, generally they get 'conditioned' to connecting the sound of plastic bags to that meaning it's their food, and they'll get excited thinking it's feeding time. but other than that, if wilbert has everything he needs, i.e. pellets, water, alphalpha, he won't make a fuss or do his 'wheeking.'

also, they like to have 'floor time,' meaning you give them an enclosed area to run around on the floor. they like to explore sniffing around. sometimes when they are excited to be out and about, they'll 'popcorn,' which is super cute, you can tell their so happy when they popcorn. it's like a jump, their whole body jumps, , and kinda turn on the landing.

anyway, hope this is helpful for now, if anyone has more info, please post

(RIP Wilbert, I will love you always ~2004-2009)(RIP Snowflake, I will love you always ~2005-2009)(RIP Senior, I will love you always ~2005-2010)(RIP Sunflower, I will love you always ~2005-2010)(RIP Princess, I will love you always ~2005-2012)

Re: gunnie pig??

From what I've read, Timothy hay is better for most pet rodents than alfalfa (sp?) because it will keep them from getting too fat. Some like to give a bit of alfalfa as a treat and mostly timothy. Fresh veggies a great too.

Re: guinea pig??

I doubt piggies would go up stairs, unless you made a ramp of some sort, they dont jump much. I have a long haired piggy right now, and I think I may be getting a short haired baby soon. Guinea pig noises are hard to explain, it kind of like 'Week week Sweek SkeeWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEKKK!!' Stella is usually only loud when she is scared or excited, but I have heard of some louder piggys. They do chew, but not as much as bunnies, or atleast my Stella doesn't. Over all they are great little guys, and I have fun brudhing out Stellas hair all the time.
You should also look into chichillas to, they are great pets.

Re: guinea pig??

Stella and Wilbert have a long distance internet fling going on, lol.

Anyhow, when on floor time, they likely won't chew on baseboards. From my experience, they don't. They'll usually walk around sniffing the carpet, exploring. Depending if you train them, they can be 'litter trained,' but typically they like to use the toilet in the same area of their cage. And dependig, some may be defiant and just go to the toilet while out on floor time, while other's don't like to, and will give suttle cues or wheeking when they need to relieve themselves. Wilbert was like this when I got him, he wasn't a baby when I got him. Unless he thinks there's no chance he'll make it to the cage in time, he'll have an accident on the floor (which he hates, you can tell he's embarrassed about it), he will hold it in til he gets back to his cage. But I know it's an accident, so don't react to it. Perhaps in his former home, he got some bad reaction to it, don't know.

And yes timothy hay is healthier and a mandatory for their teeth. They usually knaw things to keep their teeth at the right level. And they need their nails trimmed, similar fashion as budgies, i.e. there's quick in the nails, so must be careful not to cut it to avoid bleeding.

And yeah, the noise level with Wilbert is almost non-existent, unless he wants fresh pellets (which he gets a couple times a day, what a brat, he know's he can get fresh pellets so why eat half day old one's ). So he'll wheek, and stand up along the side of the cage. But it isn't too loud. The loudest is if he want's food, or wants attention.

They are social animals, so like attention, petting, etc. Depending on their personalities, some don't like to be packed, or packed for too long. Wilbert will whine if he feels I'm packing him too long. The other guinea pigs I had were more content on being packed.

Most if not all love fresh veggies (except Wilbert, poor guy won't touch it, again I think it has something to do with his former home). So most see it as a treat, and get excited. I remember my females went crazy over carrots or lettuce. Guinea pigs are vegetarians.

Their smell isn't too strong. They need to be changed every 3-4 days. As long as that's done, there's not much of a smell. I don't know what rabbits smell like, but guinea pigs don't smell much.

(RIP Wilbert, I will love you always ~2004-2009)(RIP Snowflake, I will love you always ~2005-2009)(RIP Senior, I will love you always ~2005-2010)(RIP Sunflower, I will love you always ~2005-2010)(RIP Princess, I will love you always ~2005-2012)

Re: guinea pig??

both make equally good pets. some say boys can be more laid back and snuggly. my boys are very snuggly.

guineas MUST be kept in pairs or more.

boys do not often fight, if you get 2 litter mates they will not fight even when they are mature.

if you have an adult boar you can bond him to a younger boar.

males do not fight... this is a common misconception, only exceptions being boars that have been bred or kept alone for long periods and then introduced to another adult boar.

in terms of noise, they shouldnt be too noisy at night, just some rustling, they shouldnt be wheeking at night.

one of the female was the 'alpha' female, and was bossy

female guineas establish hierachies if in groups of more than 2. there is often a leader pig and often dominancy fights to establish new leaders.

males are not often kept in groups larger than pairs.

guineas cant do stairs, they cant really 'jump'. they do popcorn *like a bunny binky* when they are happy though, this is a little hop in the air and they twist their heads as they do it. very sweet to watch.

they need a cup of veggies daily as they cant make their own vit c. dont add vit c to their water as this puts them off drinking and if they are given enough veggies they wont become difficient anyway.

they dont tend to smell, some say males do a bit. i havent found this the case at all. so long as they are cleaned regularly they dont smell at all.

Re: guinea pig??

A piggy could probably get out of that cage, or you could make a simple little ramp. That area would be fine, but you would have to make sure it couldn't fall down the stairs.
I am going to go a littel off topic: I am getting my new cavy!!!! An eight week old TSW peruvian female! I am excited!!